The 4th thing I learned again -- art makes people happy!

 

India taking a selfie with her
portrait Stepping into the light.
Photo
Barbara Muir © 2022
Painting:
Stepping into the light
Acrylic on canvas
24 x 24 inches
Barbara Muir © 2022

One of my favourite photos from last year (20220 was this one of India
Morgan.  Her delight and exuberance when I delivered the
her portrait to her mother, the amazing artist Georgia Fullerton
was a sweet treat.  (India is also an exceptional artist -- but so
far she hasn't posted her work.)

What a great feeling it is for an artist -- to make people happy.
It's an over the moon joy let me tell you.  Thank you to India for
sending me photos, and talking to me on Zoom. That's how I got
this painting done. 

Artists have trouble recognizing that what they do makes a 
difference in the world.  Making one collector happy is a solid
valid contribution.  So for my artist friends out there -- worrying
about your work -- create it, enjoy it, and realize that the right people
are going to love it, and cherish it.

Have a loving your life day.

The third thing I learned again -- people who love are loving

Wonder Water Image #5

Acrylic on canvas

30 x 30 inches

Barbara Muir © 2015

Emily, my son Sam's wife.

This painting travelled to Florence 

and sold in New York City

SOLD ♥

It is my daughter-in-law Emily's birthday, and Steven and I feel
so delighted that she is part of our family. She is kind, funny and loving.
I did this portrait of her in 2015. And we love Emily.

Happy Birthday Emily!

Thinking of the concept of love. I am borrowing some thoughts
from a post from a couple of years ago. It would be hard to match the love I feel
for my family and friends. And it's my experience that people who throw
that word around, who love people, and paintings, music, humour, ice cream,
and flowers, and coffee, and wine, and pretty clothes and their jobs -- also
love each other, the environment, the planet, fairness, equality and will fight,
not in a shallow way, to take care of the people, the neighbourhood, the city,
the country, the planet that they love.
I am all for spreading love, for loving as much as possible -- for complimenting
a book, a movie, a friend, a loved one. We are trained to be reticent,
and it isn't getting us anywhere. So guess what? I love that you are reading this.
And please go out and gush over your family and friends. Love, love, love.
You cannot ever love enough in this lifetime.

Have a loving your life day.

A great exhibition, and the second thing I learned in 2023

The three paintings I have in the Heliconian Winterlude

show, on for December and January.

They are: (top) Sweet sunlight and coffee

Next row left: The cake house, and

Sunset at the lake. 

Today I went to the opening of the Winterlude exhibition at the Heliconian
Club 35 Yorkville Avenue.  I have three paintings in the exhibition. It
was great to see other artists, and it's a beautiful show.  I will show
you more pieces from the exhibition in upcoming blog posts.

In this photo of me with the work
the colours are a bit more
accurate.  I had a super time
at the show.  In fact I was so
happy to be there that I danced,

and laughed and had so much fun.
Music would have been good.

I am following a tradition that Howard Wolinksy, the writer/photographer
had me start a few years ago in December.  The idea is to think about
what you learned in the year during the last month of the year.
So here goes on number 2.  Thank you Howard.

The second thing (really the first thing) I learned again in 2023

I wrote a piece in 2015 to explain why I sign so many of
my letters with XOXOXOXOXO, and it resonated with me again
today. Sadly the pandemic is not gone. I miss all of the things we
did without thinking before.  Now we still have to think about
gatherings, vaccines, when and where to wear a mask.

To all my friends and family who cannot be in
Toronto this year for the holidays, please know
that I love you and you are in my heart.

I learned the strong power of love when I held
my mother's hand as she lay dying 10 years ago.  It was
not about regret, although of course I wish I
could have spent more time with her.  My sadness
was about knowing I couldn't see her, hug her
and speak with her again.

After she died I knew I had to live to the fullest,
not for her, but because she would want me to.
And I understood in the most intense way
possible that however many years I had left on
the planet, they would not be enough to give
out enough love to the people I care about,
and to the world.

I don't mean to overpower people with the
XOXOXOXOXO.  I just mean to say I know
without question that however many X's and
O's I can put at the end of a note they will never
convey how important the concept of being
loving, and kind is to me, or how much I care
for the recipient.

Many friends at this time of year are sharing
ideas about beliefs and ceremonies they
enjoy.  But the common thread in everyone's
background is the importance of love and kindness.

Thank you for yours in 2023, and thank you
to all my friends and family for helping us to
enjoy yet another year of the pandemic. Yes it's
not gone.  I have friends who have it right now.

XOXOXOXOXO to all of my friends and family
everywhere! 

Have a loving your life day!

 

Light from the kitchen table

iPad sketch

8 x 10 inches

Barbara Muir © 2018

Before I start there's an opening of the Winterlude Show at
the Heliconian Club in Toronto tomorrow at 35 Hazelton Avenue,

Toronto. I have 3 pieces in the show, and was working on

them up to the deadline, and didn't photograph them! (Blame
my end of school deadline too -- I rushed home from delivering
the paintings to prepare for my final class at the Regent Park
Community Learning and Development Center). That is a poor 
excuse.  Pictures tomorrow. It's a beautiful show.  Come out and

have cookies, coffee, treats and maybe pick up some work for
holiday gifts.

The Blog
 

A few years ago Howard Wolinsky, the amazing writer and 
photographer, whose piece about me on his Skype blog got
me noticed by Oprah Winfrey's people in 2009, asked about
the things I had learned that year.  It's a nice tradition to notice
what mattered as the year ends.  This has been both a wonderful,
and hard year.  Wonderful in terms of a super life, kind friends,

happy travels -- hard in terms of wars, climate change and illnesses
in the family. This first gratitude from last year still holds true.

#1 of 23
I wrote this a few years ago, and it still works as one of
the first things I learned again in 2023.  I am not religious,
so what I like about the festive season, is the joy around
the light returning, which is all about rebirth -- a new year,
new ideas, new possibilities.  

Steven and I are sunset chasers.  By which I mean, we love
to see the sunset, and because we are also more late night
people, we rejoice as the days get longer.  So this is what
I learn every year -- try and be the light.  

In recent years the news has frequently been harsh:
fires in California, fires across Canada, hurricanes on the
east coast, climate change so out of control, 32 countries
experiencing wars, mass shootings in America. A normal 

reaction is to feel despair.

But as I said a few years ago that despair is not generative
-- it doesn't lead to change. And change has to happen now
for the sake of the planet.

When I first talked about this I was thinking of the work
of my artist friend in Nova Scotia, Flora Doehler.  Not only has
Flora chosen to live a rural and sustainable lifestyle.
Her paintings are so joyous that they instantly lift the
viewers up, and make them happy.  Flora grows her own
garden with her husband Larry Knox, and  also sits in the
garden and paints -- celebrating the ecstasy and beauty of the
natural world.

I do believe that celebrating the world is one of the most
vital reasons for making art -- to inspire people, and help them
to love the planet, and value all of our lives on it.

Have a loving your light day!

The last night at my Presentation class

Last night in our
Presentation class in
a Toronto Community Center
The groups make banners to
decorate the walls. We
talked about how working
together on something fun
is networking too.
Not just LinkedIn.
They made these

on the paper
I brought in about 5 minutes!

So fun.

I've been teaching a 7 week Presentation course at a Community Center for
one of the community colleges in town.  It has been so wonderful.  Just
one night a week, and the students are adults who want to improve their
ability to speak in public -- partly for advocacy, and partly just to get
better at it.

And they are really good.  I felt so happy to be part of helping that group.  And as
is often true with teaching, I wonder who learned more?  Me or them? They
did their final talks tonight, and were absolutely fabulous.

I felt so lucky to have met such super people, and to have spent the time
with them.

Have a loving your life day.

Returning to the importance of rituals

 

Parrot Tulips

Acrylic ink, and marker on

11x 14 inches
Barbara Muir © 2020

Last year at this time I talked about the value of rituals.
A friend had inspired me to talk about the subject because
she wanted to have some consistent practices
in her life. And I think having a regular practice is part
of why I do a daily blog.

A year ago I explained that it's great when I have something
new to talk about, or to show you.  But blogging is also a vital part
of my day.  It's been a great way to talk to friends who are
thousands of miles away. I like talking to you. For instance I
get some incredibly beautiful, hand written calligraphy letters
from a friend in Texas I met through the blog.  And they make
me so happy.  

So I guess this is one of my rituals -- a daily practice.
Writing here, as I said a year ago, keeps me anchored to the
present. And that's a good thing.

Have a loving your life day.

Fun with my art group

Art group sketch

Acrylic on canvas

14 x 18 inches
Barbara Muir © 2022

Tonight I went to draw and paint with my art group for
the first time in a long time, and it was a treat.  I only
stay for an hour, and tonight it was gesture night, with
the longest pose at 25 minutes.

Nothing I did is good enough to post here, but it 
was so much fun just to be with other artists.  I 
think this sketch is of the same model who posed 
tonight -- but it was a 45 minute sketch.  

Have a loving your life day.